Evangelion: Final Redemption
by JohnnyReb
Summary: Shinji and Asuka wage a desperate battle to survive the post Third Impact and a final savage Angel with only one objective: their deaths.


Neon Genesis Evangelion: _Final Redemption_

Part one of the **Angel Trials**.

By: Jason Olin

Note: These characters do not belong to me! I'm but a poor college student so suing me would be a waste of time. All rights respectively go to Gainex, I.G., Sadamoto Yoshijuki, and everyone else who took part in the rights to the series and manga.

Also, it should be noted that there are people out there who know A LOT more about this series than I do, those who research the subtle meanings and debate possible interpretations of the mind fu*k that is Evangelion. I did my research before I wrote this story, but I make no claims at being an Evangelion guru. My story was written for fun. Please consider it a "might have been" or an alternate reality story if you wish. One thing Evangelion teaches us is that infinite possibilities exist right? Please enjoy reading my version.

If you find any major mistakes, please contact me and I'll quickly make the proper adjustments. No flames please. As I always say, I'm a fan fiction writer, not a New York Times journalist. This is just for fun fellow Anime' fans. Let's keep it that way!

Chapter 1: At World's End.

Sobbing uncontrollably, the grief-stricken boy looked down at Asuka Langley Soryu's deathly pale face and felt a powerful wave of despair wash over him like a tsunami. He gazed at the lifeless girl and allowed the hot tears to wash from his burning eyes and run unhindered like twin waterfalls down to his cheeks. The only sound around him came from the peaceful ocean of L.C.L that effectively drowned out his endless wail of grief.

Shinji felt a deep, soul shattering sense of hopelessness and loneliness unlike anything else he had ever experience before within the confines of his short lifespan. Like a hungry nightmarish predator, the negative emotions grasped him in its teeth, feasting on his pain.

There was no longer any hope, no reason to live, and no thoughts that led to anything besides madness. This was all that remained of the former Evangelion pilot. Having just suffered from the worst acid trip in existence, the surreal events of the last couple of hours had shredded his sanity and left him with the knowledge that his wish for life to return to normal would not be granted. He was now an endlessly roaming vagabond across the corpse of the planet Earth.

This was what was left for the boy who was Shinji Ikari.

He had found his breaking point and had managed to endure the insane events that had occurred mere minutes before, hanging onto his existence by the skin of his teeth. He knew, on some level, that he had broken the Third Impact. But in doing so his whirling mind was now wearing heavily on what little grasp on sanity he had left to cling to.

Complementation Project, Human Enhancement Project, Human Instrumentality project, the many names for the event that had just occurred spun around in his mind like flies over a corpse. Having refused it, Shinji had effectively destroyed the singular dream S.E.E.L.E. had envisioned, though he himself didn't know it. Regardless of how it happened, Third Impact was over and the currently lifeless planet Earth cast in perpetual crimson seemed to be the only lasting consequence visible to his eyes.

Shinji took a deep rattled breath and wondered if he had done the right thing. Had there really even been another option? Hadn't Rei asked him what he'd wanted, insinuating that she would grant his wish? If so, why wasn't it being granted? Why was he here alone in this man-made hell?

Red waves broke against the ground, the mournful splashing sounding like a quiet cry lamenting on the planet-wide destruction of all life. Shinji couldn't bring himself to look up and stare at the devastation. He knew that if he did so, if he gazed at the barren landscape, then he truly would lose his mind.

It was finally over. The Angels: Sachiel, Shamshiel, Ramiel, Gaghiel, Israfel, Sandalphon, Matariel, Sahaquiel, Yrouel, Leliel, Bardiel, Zeruel, Arael, Armisael, and Tabris; all had met destruction for their transgressions against humanity. Shinji grit his teeth. What had it all been for?

For a year he had fought hard to keep a world barely tolerated safe from the awesomely powerful and enigmatic beings. These creatures of titanic abilities, had served as a trial of sorts. Shinji had been taught that they were the enemy and had engaged them as such. While this was true in a sense, the Angels had been more like obstacles than deliberate foes.

For a brief second Shinji realized the irony of the situation as it settled before him. As the controller of Third Impact, he'd served as an accomplice towards the goal pursued by the Angels, the very creature's he'd been fighting against. Now, like humanity and the rest of life on earth, the Angels were gone, defeated yet ultimately victorious.

The harsh truth of the situation continued to hit Shinji like a punch to the gut. All of NERV's efforts had been in vain! The Evangelions, the hard working technicians who repaired them, scientists and computer geniuses who worked to so hard to keep them one step ahead of the different Angels, all had fought for nothing! Their blood, sweat, and tears had been spent needlessly and futilely. The Angel's had been eradicated one after another, but Third Impact had occurred anyways.

In the end, man had helped to destroyed himself after fighting so hard to stop the Angels from doing so. Shinji's stomach twisted and he nearly vomited. If he had known how things were going to end up, he would have rather died at the hands of an Angel. That would most certainly have paved the way for one Angel or another to reach Adam, and initiate their version of Third Impact. It would have been better for a foe to destroy humanity than humanity itself.

The members of NERV had all struggled against an unchangeable future all the while foolishly believing they could make a difference. The part that hurt the most was the knowledge that his father, Gendo Ikari had done nothing to help his own son in such a desperate time of need. He just disappeared at the end to further his own mysterious plans. NERV and its people had been used as pawns in his own mysterious plans and they had paid with their lives.

Hatred welled up inside of Shinji's soul as he thought of Gendo and he grasped tightly to that hate and found a shred of strength. At last looking around at the world that was at one time full of life, Shinji wondered if this was the future his father had envisioned from the beginning. What had he been after that had led him to do such a thing? There was no way to tell for sure. Gendo's dealings had always been beyond Shinji's understandings, mostly because he never talked to his son about trivial matters, let alone matters of world wide security or cloak-and-dagger plots.

The dead world expanded around Shinji's kneeling form and the warped sky still glimmered with a sickening pale shade of red. The sight of the giant, half destroyed face of Rei looking skyward only unsettled him more and he tore his gaze away, looking out across the landscape, sighting something else to stare at. Standing in mute testament to the horror they had helped to create, the white SEELE Mass Produced Evangelions still hung in rigid crucifixion from their crosses that now dotted the landscape. Shinji wished he could destroy them. He wanted to rid his sight of those sickening behemoths once and for all.

But Shinji didn't have his Eva. That bothered him most of all. He didn't even know where it was or if it was even intact after the warped transformation it had undergone during the ceremony leading to the Third Impact. He realized then how naked he felt and how vulnerable he was. Evangelion Unit 01 was his security blanket, his shield from pain. It was a tool, a weapon, and had been, until today, a final hope for the survival of mankind.

It was also the thing he hated most, even more than his father. He hated the Evangelion and focused all his frustration towards its memory. He'd hated piloting it, smelling the sickening scent of blood in the entry plug, hated enduring the pain of the damage it occurred time and time again. Unit 01 had helped to drag his sanity to the unstable level it had now reached. The life it had given him had produced nothing but misery and a hellish existence amidst a fog of fear.

Another thought struck him. Shouldn't he now be happy now that the source of his pain was gone? All his fears, dislikes, everything that had made his life unbearable was gone forever. He didn't understand how or why, but he had survived the final act that had doomed the human race. Had it been solely of Rei's doing or perhaps a higher power? Was it God's will that he lived or was his continued existence a mere cosmetic fluke?

Shinji recalled that his mother has spoken to him somewhere in the middle of that traumatic event, but it seemed to remain on the edge of his mind. He couldn't remember what she had said; the vision was so intangible and murky, perhaps because of his current mental trauma.

_So here I am alone… _He shifted slightly, the gravity of the knowledge that he was utterly alone in the world crushed down on him. He wondered if this had been how Adam had felt when God had created him in his own image. Loneliness didn't adequately describe the sheer sense of isolation that coursed through his soul. He opened his mouth but no sound came out, a silent scream against the injustice of the situation. His body shook and he wept tears anew.

Needing to vent his hands closed around Asuka's throat and he squeezed.

He heard a soft rattled coughing sound and looked down to see her one un-bandaged bright blue eye staring dimly skyward, her body positioned as if she had been there for hours, resting comfortingly against the sand, her body and eye covered in bandages much like Rei had been when he had first laid eyes on her.

So startled was he that he didn't even realize that his hands were wound around her neck. Snatching his mind out from the stupor brought on by Third Impact, Shinji realized he'd been sitting over her for quite some time now.

_Asuka is alive! _

He didn't understand it, nor did he care. Hope swelled up in his chest, competing against the cloud of madness that was fighting for supremacy. For the first time in at least a week he felt something akin to hope blossom within his breast.

After her synchronization ratio had dropped below the required level necessary to activate and pilot an Eva, the once indomitable Asuka had sunk into a deep state of depression. Comatose for all intents and purposes, she had been taken to NERV's main hospital for treatment. She had awoken in time to fight the Japanese Self Defense task force sent by SEELE to retake their precious Evangelions. She had also defeated their trump card, the white, Mass Produced Eva's which had been dispatched to deal with her once and for all.

Unfortunately, they had all possessed an S2 organ, unbeknownst to her, giving them a horrifying advantage from the start. These organs enabled the Eva's to reactivate even after sustaining damage that should have otherwise rendered them ineffective. With Unit 02 completely out of power Asuka had been helpless against the white demons that, with ghastly smiles on their faces, had easily torn her Eva apart and mercilessly taken her life.

One thought ran though his brain over and over again. Asuka was alive! The girl he cared for was alive! Anything else was irrelevant! All that mattered was that he wouldn't have to be alone anymore! A stronger set of tears broke loose and fell on the pale girl's cheek as he hovered above her. His hand tightened around her neck, constricting her windpipe. He was unsure as to why he was doing it. His body seemed to be moving of its own accord as emotions more conflicting than he could understand wrestled for control of his brain.

Asuka's one good eye moved to look up at him for a moment. Her one usable hand slowly reached up and cupped his face as she silently pleaded him to calm down. Her touch shocked his body and he returned to himself, releasing his hold on the half German girl's neck.

A pause followed, one that seemed to last for eons.

"I feel sick…," she finally whispered.

Hearing her voice, Shinji lost any self-control he had gathered inside and fresh sobs escaped the confines of his lips. Her voice was like an instrument, more beautiful than even his cello. It played the sweetest music he had ever heard, the song of a living human against the backdrop of the dead silence of the world.

He smiled softly, forcing back his tears, moving to stand up and away from her. "Asuka..."

She sat up slowly and painfully with a confused look appearing on her haggard face. "What happened? I don't remember anything."

Shinji had no answer to give her. There was no explaining what had just happened, or how she had mysteriously appeared beside him on the beach. No words existed that could describe the current situation or the bleak future. There was only one tiny bit of salvation to the whole ordeal: another being besides him had survived. That small pin point of hopeful light was all he needed at the moment. He followed this light, clung to it with grim determination.

"It's far too complicated to explain…"

The two sat on the beach for what seemed hours. Auska stared hard at the ground deep in thought. Neither spoke. Both were content to listen to the sounds of the waves and distant wind move against the surface of dead mother Earth.

Chapter 2: Rift Between the Survivors.

Asuka was never one to just go with the flow and just accept things as they were. If there was something she didn't understand she would analyze it and dwell on it until she was satisfied that it was understood. She started talking softly at first, and Shinji didn't truly pay it much attention, giving one word answers.

"Where are we?"

"Tokyo 3. What's left of it. Or maybe somewhere else."

"What? How did we get here?"

Shinji did not answer. When Asuka was faced with a situation she couldn't control or that scared her, it was a natural defensive mechanism to want to blame someone else. So naturally, when her tone started to become accusing, Shinji started to pay attention.

"Last I can remember, I was fighting with those Eva's and Misato said you were on your way with unit 01 to support but…"

Shinji turned away a bit in discomfort.

Asuka stared at him a moment. "You never came… did you?"

"There was a lot going on at that time."

A pause. "I…did I die? I did, didn't I?!"

Shinji shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

She looked up at him, her expression changing from confused to angry. "I think you do."

Her voice built up with venom as everything started to return to her. The memories refocused, and the gaps in her memory slowly started to bridge together. She stood up and turned to face him as he also rose to his feet, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. There was no mistaking it. In a matter of minutes the Asuka he had known was back again after weeks in hibernation, angrier than he had ever seen her. Her memories were back, and he couldn't lie and get out of things even if he had wanted to.

"Asuka… I'm sorry." Another wave of guilt swelled up inside Shinji and he took a timid step backwards. This sudden rage emanating from her was not what he had been expecting. Things were happening too fast for him to handle.

Suddenly, Asuka roared and hit him square across the jaw with her fist so hard it spun him completely around. The next thing he knew, he was lying face down in the dirt as pain shot across the side of his cheek. He rolled over and started to rise but she was on him instantly, pinning him to the ground and savagely wrapping her one good hand around his throat. He felt a stinging sensation as her nails bit through the skin on his neck yet he didn't fight back. He just lay there and looked up at her, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"How do you like it?!" she screamed. "This is the way it felt when you choked me! You were never there when I needed you, Shinji! I died because you never showed up to help! You betrayed my trust! How dare you! We could have ended it all then! We could have stopped this nightmare from getting this far! You failed me, yourself, _and the entire fucking human race!"_

Shinji stared at her in fear. He wouldn't, couldn't bring himself to break free. This was his punishment and he deserved it. His throat clenched painfully in her grip. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, you're sorry, are you?!" Asuka snarled. "I guess that makes everything ok then, doesn't it!? You can't abandon someone who's fighting for their life and expect things to be ok, you… you mental bastard! But that's all you know, isn't it? All you can do is run away or apologize! You are a weak and worthless excuse for a human being! No, you're beyond worthless! You don't even have the courage to stand up and act like a man! You disgust me! No real man would ever put up with the abuse I put you through. Can't you tell that I despise you?! Why do you put up with it?"

He looked away. "Because, I... care about you."

Asuka reeled back off of him as if she had been struck, her eye shining with surprise. For once, she had been caught completely off guard. Shinji coughed several times as he struggled to fill his screaming lungs then rose to his feet, unable to meet her gaze. He knew he had no right to like her, no right to receive any kind of comfort or sympathy from her.

"You have a messed up way of showing affection," she snapped, squaring her shoulders. The violent, angry nature screened her discomfort like a crimson mask. Her arm came up and held the bicep of her other arm that was encased in a bandage sling.

He shot her an uncharacteristically angry glare. "And you don't?!"

Asuka stood her ground, glad they were now back in familiar territory. "I have no time to be nice to a sniveling, weak coward like you. It's obvious you didn't inherit much from your father! At least he has the balls to be a man! I guess the term 'like father, like son' doesn't apply here."

Shinji's hand came out and smacked her hard across the face. She recoiled instantly, more shocked than in pain over the move against her. She took a hesitant step backwards, blinking away shock and the stars flashing in front of her eyes.

Asuka did not know if she felt more angry or terrified. _Shinji's never hit me before. I think he's lost his mind!_

There was no way to conceal the anguished rage from his face. He wouldn't take her abuse, not after everything that had happened. Being called lower than his despicable father was the final straw. The final mental dam that held in his anger cracked and fell apart. "My father wasn't a man! I've fought the Angels, not him! I risked my life! He didn't! I've nearly died on more occasions than I want to think about, and if you go back and think about it, I always wanted to be there for you, despite how you treated me!

"When I was in trouble did you return the favor? No, of course not! How dare you call me a coward! I made a terrible mistake in not helping you against those white Eva's and I'm sorry. But let's get one thing clear right now! Under no circumstances are you to lay your hand on me again!"

Asuka shrank back further, rubbing her red cheek. "When my Unit 2 was being made a pin cushion, you weren't there, and I died. Do you know how much that hurt?" She laughed humorlessly. "No, of course not! A child like you couldn't possibly understand..."

Shinji shook his head. "Yes, I need to grow up. Yes, I'm not a man. Yes, I do depend on others too much. But I was always there, risking my life for yours whenever I could to prove myself! Why did I do it? I did it because I tried to remember the few fond memories I had of you; there were only a few times you were sincerely nice to me."

"I was nice to you because I felt _sorry _for you! And your right, you'll never be half the man Kaji was!" She stared him down, her eyes crisp with fresh anger.

"Kaji is dead."

"That's not the point, God damn it!" Asuka waved her arm to the landscape around them with a look of stark resignation. "Look around you. Everyone withNerv is dead!"

Shinji sighed and let the anger bleed away. "We're going to have to help each other if we're going to survive in this hell hole. Don't you realize we are the only two left alive?"

Asuka stared at him. "Everyone is….?"

"Gone."

She stared at him. "Gone? Everyone?! All gone?!"

Shinji adverted his eyes. "Third Impact gone."

"Oh my Christ in Heaven," she suddenly felt sicker. "This can't be happening. Why? How?"

Shinji didn't answer.

"We're… the last…?" Asuka looked around in stunned horror, noticing the extent of the macabre scene before her as if for the first time. She screamed loudly at the sight of the dead world lying at her feet made all the more terrifying by the fact that she now knew that besides her and Shinji, the world was uninhabited. The sound of her scream echoed eerily around them, stretching on for miles. She spun around over and over, wishing, pleading for the nightmarish scene to vanish like an illusion. But everywhere her panicking eyes fell, only dead earth remained.

"No. No! Nooo!" She collapsed to her knees and brought her hand to her face to shield her eye from the dead world and its horrors. It was worse than a nightmare! It was madness so sickening that it threatened to consume her mind and soul. The girl cried for a couple of minutes as Shinji watched on, seemingly emotionless to the whole ordeal. This only made her angrier in a way. Why was it he could only start to grow a spine after the world had ended?

"Now do you see why we have to work together?" he said softly, allowing any remaining aggression to drain away. "We're all that's left."

"Damn it," She muttered, wiping away hot streaming tears. "Who did this? I thought the Angels had all been destroyed."

Shinji placed his hands in his pockets, pondering her question. Picturing Rei had only brought chills down his spine ever since he had found out the truth behind the First Child. Surrounded by that vat full of soulless, giggling Rei clones had traumatized him. Even now those mysterious red eyes made to seem all the brighter in contrast with her pale white skin burned through his memory. Rei had just been a disposable copy, a body to fill the cockpit of Eva Unit 00. When one body failed another could take its place. The entire concept was sickening. What could possibly have possessed his father to create such a thing?

But there was an even more burning question: Rei was a clone, a copy… but of whom?

"Rei."

Asuka looked up at him. "What?"

Shinji looked at the ground. "Rei was responsible... well, partially anyways. I think she had angelic qualities about her, the similarities to her and Kaworu were dead on. Who knows, she might have been one herself." That line of brought a bad taste to his mouth. Tabris the Seventeenth Angel also known as Kaworu Nagisa, a fourteen year old Eva pilot, had been slated to take over Asuka's role as Eva unit 02's pilot. He had been a person Shinji had called a friend until the angelic boy had staged an elaborate betrayal.

Shinji balled his hand up into a fist. _What a devastating nightmare that had been…_

Asuka's retort pierced the veil of his thoughts. "What are you stupid?! Why would one Angel kill another? Rei fought all of them too. That doesn't make any sense at all!"

"It's just a theory," he replied. "We're angels too, the Eighteenth Angel, and we're uncomfortably similar in design to the seventeen we slaughtered. That's what Misato told me anyways."

Asuka allowed her anger to momentarily die away. She shivered visibly. "Well, look what the Angels left for us. If the world is dead, how can we be alive?"

"I don't know that either," Shinji said flatly.

There were a great many unanswerable questions. This fact didn't stem the fiery redhead's attitude though. She bit off an angry remark, realizing that insulting him would do no further good. Quickly composing herself, she stood up and brushed off her legs with her one good arm.

Glancing back at him one last time, she started walking away.

Shinji felt his nervousness return and twist his stomach painfully as she walked away from him. A sensation of isolation took hold of his heart. He held his hand out, almost whimpering. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Someplace else," she stated simply. "I have no time for potential killers or children who throw tantrums. I suggest you continue to grow a spine real quick if you want to survive in this hell all alone."

"You can't just leave," he shouted at her slowly retreating figure.

Asuka stopped in her tracks and turned her head to the side to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "It's obvious you have no idea what's going on. Furthermore, you don't have any plan of action to deal with this situation. I'd be much better off on my own. Don't follow me!"

With that, the Second Child turned and continued her march away from Shinji and into the dead wilderness that had once been their home. Shinji wanted to wail with frustration and fear and he clenched and unclenched his hand rapidly, his mind trying to deal with this latest development.

"Fine! Just leave! I don't care! I'll be better off without you too!" He shouted at her retreating figure.

He felt a fresh set of tears well up in his eyes. This life he led had let him down again. He fell to his knees and hunched over, clutching at the ground, carving rivets into the lifeless sand. He watched Asuka disappear over the horizon as her body merged with the dark landscape beyond. The sounds of her footsteps were rendered inaudible by a steady gale of wind wind.

"I don't care!"

Shinji was alone once more, As he contemplated that, he wondered why it bothered him so. Hadn't he spent most of his life alone? Hadn't he wished to be alone forever so nothing could bother or hurt him ever again?

No, not anymore, he realized. This present condition hadn't been what he had wished for at all. He had not wanted to witness all this death and despair.

Fog crept up and circled around him like a stalking wolf. Cloud tendrils wrapped around his form, blocking the desolate view of the world from his eyes. Was this the world the Angels had sought to create? Was the dead planet just an unavoidable consequence of their merging?

The Angels. After Dr. Akagi's breakdown she had given him access to all sorts of papers to satisfy her own mysterious goals. The files he had briefly looked through had been technical and hard to read, but from what he had scanned over, Shinji had come to understand a great deal more about his enemy than he had previously known, if scientific speculation could be trusted, of course. The Angels, according to her notes, weren't necessarily evil creatures; they had simply been out to retrieve their own lost leader named Adam. One line he had written stuck out particularly clear: The Angels had come from Adam and as such desired, above all else, to return unto him. Humans, or Lilim, came from Lilith and as such were her creations.

Perhaps the Angels had simply wanted to return to their creator?

But all of this wasn't even in Shinji's thoughts at the moment. His only thoughts turned to those of self-pity and held little room for anything else to be contemplated. The small miracle that had been the revival of Asuka hadn't turned out to be a miracle at all. All he felt was frustration, as if a much sought after thing was dangling just beyond his reach.

"I don't care! Let her go! It's not like there's anywhere to go to."

She was nothing but a burden, someone who took pleasure in the torment of others. She'd step on anyone to get what she wanted. Shinji figured he would be dead in a few days from lack of drinkable water anyways. It would be better to die alone without her screaming and nagging to torment his ears. He wouldn't miss Asuka; he would be just fine on his own until the end came.

"I don't care..."

But deep down he knew he did care. He didn't want to be alone in the final stage of his life. Though he hated part of her, his overall feelings for her far outweighed the negative. It was true that he deserved to be despised for what he had done. There was no excuse for failing to back up a teammate. But was suffering alone in quiet despair by oneself not too great a punishment? Perhaps things would have been better if that first Angel had killed him all that time ago. Maybe all this could have been avoided then and everyone would be happy.

Sighing heavily, Shinji slumped over and laid his head against the sand. Closing his eyes and allowing his soul to succumb to the swelling misery that was festering inside his heart. He stared out at the endless waters beyond. Through all the terror, all the madness, he had never completely given up. Now everything was finished, and he finally gave in. There was no one left who cared about him, and as such, there was nothing left to fight for. Eventually he would sleep for eternity. Even that didn't bring much comfort.

"I hope I never wake up…"

Chapter 3: Mournful Reflection.

"Shinji, you idiot!" Asuka snarled and folded her arm tightly around herself as a cold biting wind brushed past her skin. What was left of her form hugging red plug suit did very little to insulate her body from the unforgiving elements, especially with its power drained. Before her, a vast sea of dead land stretched out to the horizon, bathed in crimson. In the distance she saw damaged buildings standing like tombstones, marking the achievements and passing of mankind.

"This isolation is worse than hell…"

She hoped Shinji's suffering was equal to her own, if not more so. It was the very least he deserved.

Asuka muttered another German curse and tried to rationally come up with a plan. Staying with Shinji would probably have increased her chances of survival, but his lack of determination and his dependency on others to survive was more than she could tolerate even in a life threatening situation. At least this way she could be alone and perhaps find some sort of inner peace.

The buildings caught her interest. Perhaps she could find drinkable water and unspoiled food in one of those buildings.

"Best to focus on small goals to keep myself busy. I don't need to think too much. If I do, I'll go nuts."

She blew out a deep sigh and suddenly realized how lonely she felt. She wanted someone worthy to love and respect, someone who could break down her emotional and egotistically driven barriers. No one had filled that role completely since her mother. Guys had liked her, but that was just lust, not real, mature love. There was Kaji... but he was dead. Besides, he had liked Misato. Asuka had known all along deep inside her heart that she couldn't have competed with the charm of that older woman.

The truth hit her full in the face as she contemplated her misery: She wanted to be cared for! She didn't just live for fame and self-importance. That had all been a sham, a cover for the vulnerable heart that beat inside her breast.

_ "Because, I... care about you." _

Shinji's words played over and over endlessly in her mind. She felt a warm blush touch her face even as she shivered with chill. She had known for some time that Shinji had feelings for her, but to actually hear him admit to it had been an experience she hadn't been prepared for. She knew she felt something for him in her own way, but she couldn't admit it, not even to herself. Asuka had never been able to afford to being nice, because then people would have taken advantage of her and she refused to let that happen. She wouldn't live like a silly girl with make believe dreams of romance, bliss, and impossible goals.

"Shinji, how dare you care about me! That just makes things harder to deal with!"

She sniffled but refused to cry because by doing so the harshness of reality would win and she'd no longer have the will to live. Inside, her soul was torn. Kaji, Misato, her girlfriends at school, everyone had been destroyed. Her life and any semblance of normality was completely gone. She was just a lost soul wondering, searching for a sensation of salvation that no longer existed. She wanted to cry out and wail to the heavens above. Instead, she kept walking, focusing her energies on simply putting one foot in front of the other. She wouldn't live her last days crying like a baby. Her mouth tightened into a thin line. No, that would be utterly unacceptable. She still had her pride if nothing else.

Whatever had recently occurred had not only taken the lives of everyone on the planet, but had also erased the dead world of all forms of vegetation and animal life. Only the husk of buildings, mountains of rock rubble, and scorched dirt remained. Oceans and lakes of shining LCL dotted the landscape but a closer inspection of the buildings left her with some hope.

Stepping over the remains of a fence, Asuka ventured into the confines of one of the buildings that bore visible marks of battle damage, probably as a result of the recent battle with the JSDF against Nerv. Bearing a large hole in the western side of the small office building's wall due to some sort of explosion coupled with damage to the structure did little to keep the wind out. However, a quick inspection of a small break room outside the main floor's conference room did reveal one ray of hope. Inside the confines of a nonfunctional fridge was a package of bottled water, unopened and untainted by the apocalypse.

Grabbing a bottle, Asuka twisted off the top and drank greedily. The delicious live-giving liquid tasted exquisite in her dry mouth. A closer examination of the break room revealed no source of food, but water would certainly help keep her alive longer. Using her bandaged arm, she gathered up several bottles of water into a trash bag for later consumption.

"At least I won't die of thirst. Hunger on the other hand..."

The biting wind chilled her. In her weakened state Asuka decided that it would be best to find some cover against the biting wind and rest for a while before she to continued her journey. If she didn't take the time to heal she wouldn't be getting anywhere. If she could at least make it to a city, perhaps Tokyo 2, her chances of surviving and finding food would drastically increase.

Looking to her left, Asuka noted a small cave had been formed amidst building rubble in the nearest of the many giant rock clusters brought on by the explosions of battle against the JSDF or possibly Third Impact itself. She quickly started for the makeshift source of shelter, breaking into a slow jog until she reached the base of the rubble. Stepping carefully, she climbed inside the hole and was pleased to see she could comfortably fit inside. In fact, the inside of the cave made of rubble was large enough for her to stand up in without hitting her head.

The stone structure around her groaned as it was pummeled by the wind. She only hoped the strong winds wouldn't dislodge a boulder and crush her while she slept. It was a chance the girl was willing to take and the absence of the biting cold was most desirable. When walking through hell, even the smallest of creature comforts went a long way.

Settling down onto her rear with a sigh, Asuka put her chin on the top of her knees and wrapped her arm around her legs, trying to hold in as much body heat as she could.

"I feel completely out of place in this broken, dead husk of a world."

She sat there and tried to keep her mind active so she wouldn't think about the hopeless situation at hand. It was simply no use however; the gravity of the situation forced itself through her thoughts anyway. Pictures of important people flashed before her eyes, people who had mattered and were now gone. She felt so much sadness and pain that she wanted to die. The one person who could comfort her, the only person left was gone now, a victim of her vindictive scorn.

She felt like an idiot and curled up into a fetal position, nestled as deep into the cave as she could go.

"Shinji, help me," she whispered. Sleep eventually took her away, carrying her mind to a much happier time and place.

Chapter 4: Angel of the Dead Earth.

Awakening from his unexpected nap, Shinji felt refreshed despite himself and, as he lay on the ground looking out at the vast bizarre sea before him, he came up with a plan. His desire to keep going was probably influenced by his body's will to continue living. He was going to continue to try to live, for no other reason than to help Asuka and insure that she survived. At least having a goal gave him a little feeling of self-worth. The idea appealed to him and it would help erase the error he had previously made.

He stood up and looked towards the direction of where she had gone. Finding her would be a problem. Her tracks had already been blown away by the wind, and there was no way to know which way she had headed once she had gone past line of sight.

Still, it wasn't like he had anything else to do now. Brushing sand out of his hair Shinji prepared to set off. There was no point in waiting around. Taking a deep breath, he started out across the desolate landscape, following the path he had seen her take several hours earlier.

The ever present sense of hopelessness and isolation gripped him as it had before, but as he walked along something else started to trickle up his spine. It wasn't a sensation he could put into words exactly but something felt completely and utterly wrong. He ignored it at first but when the sensation started to grow even stronger and a cold sweat matted his forehead despite the chilling wind, Shinji knew something was completely out of place.

This feeling, this sensation in his mind was the only thing that saved him from an untimely demise. His body, ridged and alert by these sensations of impending danger, was able to half jump, half stumble out of the way of a huge shockwave that roared up from below ground around the area he had just been standing, crushing the rocks that had once rested there into atoms.

A dark shape accompanied the shockwave, rising from under the ground and jutting up towards the star-filled sky with an ear shattering howl, spraying sand and dirt across the desolate landscape. Shinji jumped to his feet and spun around, staring up in confusion as a behemoth shape, black as pitch, pulled itself upward, rippling as muscles in the long forearms struggled to pull its bulk up to the surface.

Shinji shouted in terror as the creature towered above him, eclipsing the very sky. "Oh God… an Angel!"

With panic stricken eyes, he saw the white skull-like mark gleaming on its chest, not unlike the masks worn by some of the other angels he had fought. There was no mistaking it, the creature was an Angel and easily the largest he'd ever seen.

Shinji took off as fast as he could in the opposite direction, foolishly thinking he could escape the titanic monster. Behind him, the creature struck the place where the boy had just been standing with one gigantic clawed hand. Its huge bone talons carved immense rivets into the ground, pulverizing rock and dirt into dust. Shinji spurred himself on as his racing body moved on pure adrenaline.

The Angel gave chase on two massive legs. It's narrow, tube-shaped head hung low to the ground as it walked, pacing him. His flight was aided by the very shockwaves the creature's footsteps produced. It propelled his body forward like a rag doll, but the pain the vibrations put on his body barely allowed him to stay on his feet.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God!"

He was completely helpless, more so than he'd ever been. Without an Evangelion no force in existence could stop a determined Angel for very long. Punctuating this point, the creature swung downward again and one sharp claw sliced clean through the back of Shinji's shirt, cutting it from his body and missing his skin by mere millimeters. It was clear that this Angel did not toy with its prey. The mysterious creature held no compassion or mercy and its existence only begat more mysteries and puzzles than it answered.

Shinji hit the ground as the creature's other hand swung overhead, missing him by several feet. He scrambled to his feet again, buying himself a few extra seconds. He felt the monster's red eyes pierce into the back of his head as if it was studying him. He ran faster, pushing himself to his limits. He knew he couldn't last much longer. Exertion was taking its toll and one of the Angel's steps equaled so many of his own.

A huge skeletal tail swung into view and crashed into the ground directly behind him. The impact caused a stronger shockwave that picked him up and flung him forward with great velocity. The creature bellowed again through its thinly opened jaws, reveling row after row of short, jagged teeth. A giant dust cloud rose skyward as a result of its attack, blocking the creature's view of the ground.

Shinji's body slammed painfully into a huge rock formation. His forehead cracked hard on a large boulder sending a small spray of blood flying into the cold air as his skin broke from the impact.

_This is it, I'm going to die_!

Pain exploded before his eyes and he hit the ground so hard it knocked the breath from his lungs. Painfully bright stars flashed in front of his eyes as he slumped to the ground and lay still.

It occurred to Shinji in his last few seconds of consciousness that he was no longer afraid. He would get his final wish, just not in the way he could ever have imagined. Soon, he wouldn't have to be alone anymore. This fact was enough to put a slight smile on his face as he lay unmoving on the ground, patiently awaiting his end _Mother, Misato, I'm coming to join you after all I guess… _

Darkness claimed his mind, a specter of darkness falling over his eyes. His body went limp and then he knew no more. His consciousness faded into oblivion and the pain faded away.

As the Angel continued to advance, a hand grabbed hold of the boy and dragged him into the darkness beyond.

Chapter 5: Fleeing Extinction.

"Shinji? Shinji! Wake up damnit," a frantic whisper resounded into his ear.

Shinji groaned and slowly opened his eyes, ignoring the searing pain that shot through his head, stabbing through his skull like a knife. Asuka's worried face hovered above him. For a moment, Shinji thought he was dead at last but the pounding in his head quickly proved otherwise.

All he could see was Asuka. Everything else around was claimed by darkness.

"Asuka, what happ-"

"Shhhh! Not so loud idiot!" She slapped her hand down over his mouth. "We're hiding in a cave I found. We're safe for the moment but keep blabbing and it'll hear you."

It was indeed a wise move. Seconds later, a huge crash could be heard from outside the makeshift cave as one of the Angel's feet slammed into the ground, uncomfortably close by. Shinji looked up at the ceiling nervously as it shook violently. Asuka removed her hand from over his mouth and gulped audibly.

"I hope it doesn't cave in," he whispered through clenched teeth.

"What is that thing?!" Asuka whispered shrilly.

"An Angel," he said. "I'm certain of it."

Asuka's face paled. "Another one? Impossible! The world is dead, what could it possibly be after this time?!"

Shinji swallowed hard. "Us."

Asuka turned away from him and slowly looked outside from her position in the slanted cave. The sight she saw chilled her to the bone. The creature was gigantic, at least twice an Eva's size. The closest thing Asuka could compare it to was a bipedal lizard with a skeletal tail, arms, and legs. Its lithe body was sleek and black, blending it in perfectly with the background. Two jagged bone-like spikes rose up from its shoulder blades, curving back towards its body at the tips like giant hooks. Its cylinder shaped head slowly weaved back and forth, scanning the area with its piercing red eyes. The unblinking orbs cut through the darkness as the monster patiently waited and scanned the ground several hundred yards away.

Asuka ducked back into the hole. "I don't think it can sense us."

Shinji turned to her, rubbing his hurting head. "Why did you save me?"

Asuka eyed him like a mouse would a mousetrap. "This isn't the time for that kind of question, Shinji."

"Answer me."

Asuka jerked her thumb back in the direction of the Angel. "I can't handle this thing alone."

Shinji nearly burst out laughing despite himself. "What good can you or I do against an Angel!?"

Asuka blushed as she realized the absurdity of her response. "Well... we're safe in here anyways!"

A stronger shockwave shook the cave. Asuka quickly peeked her head out of the cave again just in time to see a huge beam of energy erupt from the skull on the monster's chest and catch the ground around it in a powerful cross-shaped explosion. Slowly and with calculated deliberation it fired again and again, laying waste to the countryside's already pulverized surface.

Asuka cursed and ducked back down below. Apparently the Angel wasn't content with sitting still and waiting for its prey to come out of hiding. Goosebumps prickled her skin and she couldn't help but recall the pain she'd experienced at the hands of one of the Angels. While this one used energy for a strictly destructive purpose, the one's she'd fought had been more insidious, damaging her mind as it had probed without restriction.

"It's firing energy beams," she whispered, fighting the urge to tremble.

"Great… it has that ability…" Shinji shifted nervously. He had gone up against three previous Angels who had used that same energy attack technique. They had all been particularly fearsome opponents. Fighting the Angel was impossible before, but now it was also impossible to escape. The only way they could avoid the blast radius of even a near miss was to possess super human speed.

Another cross beam exploded, much closer than before as the Angel adjusted its aim. The impact threw Asuka to the ground and a strangled gasp of pain escaped her lips as her injured arm cracked hard against the stone ground. The impact sent flashes of pain screaming up her spine. Shinji was on top of her a second later, using his own body to shield her as rocks from the ceiling started to fall around them. Smaller pieces of rock shards fell like tiny knives, cutting into his skin. He gritted his teeth hard to keep from crying out and giving away their location.

Asuka pushed up against his shoulder, trying frantically to free herself. "Get off of me! The ceiling could collapse completely at any second! You'll be crushed!"

"Better me than you! I've always been a coward, depending on others for emotional support. For once, I'm going to save someone who matters to me. I just want you to know that I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me that last time. I'll repay that debt I owe you."

"Idiot! Don't be stupid, I won't let you get killed over me!"

"You matter to me, Asuka!"

Her eyes widened in shock and she stopped struggling out of shock. "I…"

Slowly, ever since she had first met Shinji, the egotistical, overly confident girl felt her barriers started to erode. When defeat followed defeat against several Angel's in a row, she'd became all but worthless to N.E.R.V. and its staff. As a result, the two people who had mattered, Misato and Shinji, had been pushed away by her volatile anger and frustration. The confident, fiery red head had dimmed over time, like the dying flame hovering above a candle, eventually falling into something resembling a comatose state.

Asuka remember those days, laying on a bed and existing in a state that was existed somewhere between life and death. Her brain had not only endured the natural trauma of being an EVA pilot, but had also suffered during the Angel Arael's attack when it had opened her mind with its powers. Lying in a hospital bed for several weeks while being fed intravenously, she had truly doubted her own self-worth.

Even after she had snapped herself free of this dilemma and fought a heroic battle against the JSDF and the mass produced EVA's, she had still been defeated. Awakened from death without a reason, she had instinctively fallen back on her old ways and had pushed Shinji away again, the one who had truly never deserved the grief she had given him.

She clenched her eyes shut tightly, fighting back tears. _Asuka… what a fool you are!_

The thing she had been trying to hide behind her cruelness, the thing she feared the most to admit was how very much she and Shinji were alike. Both had suffered terrible ordeals. She realized at last that if either of them were to survive, she would have to bring down her defenses and trustin him.

Upon this realization, she felt a tightening in her heart. It was time to completely break down the emotional barrier that had kept her apart from the world around her. She could trust Shinji, she knew that now.

She looked at him directly in the eye this time, unflinching, a slight smile touching her lips. "Dummkopf! Did you survive that hell just to get crushed by some dumb cave in? I'm the group leader here, remember? I say no one dies today. Let's work together and get the hell out of here!"

The Angel ceased its incessant attack. Taking advantage of the lull, Shinji stood up and helped Asuka to her feet, wincing at his injuries. "Ok then, 'great leader'. What's your plan for that Angel? The second we step foot outside we're likely to get stepped on or worse_._"

Asuka looked out of the cave again, unknowingly striking her pose of self-assurance, placing her one good hand on her hip. "No choice. We gotta put some distance between us and that monster and then find some decent cover. We don't really have any options left at the moment unless you can miracle us a spare Evangelion."

"Don't I wish."

Asuka turned and gripped his shoulder, flashing him an encouraging smile. "We'll get through this somehow. We just have to work together. I won't leave you again. Promise."

The Angel bellowed again and fired another cross-beam. The ceiling shook again, harder than before. That was Shinji's clue that it was time to go. He took her hand and yanked her towards the entrance of the cave.

"We have to get out of here! This cave won't take much more! If we're going to move out, now's the time. We stay here we die, we leave and we only probably die."

The Angel came closer and the cave-like structure began to fall apart.

"No choices left! Run!" Asuka started to scramble down the sloping hill of rubble, Shinji close behind, hitting the ground running. Keeping the hill between them and the Angel, they ran as fast as Asuka's injuries would allow. A flash of heat against their backs sent them scurrying for any sort of cover they could find as a powerful beam destroyed the cave that they had just been occupying.

The duo was on their feet again in seconds, running as hard as they could.

"Where can we go!?" Asuka shouted the question into his ear as they sprinted across the dead plains that had once been the area outside of Tokyo 3.

Shinji didn't have an answer. "Don't think, just run!"

The Angel finally caught sight of them with its emotionless black eyes and tracked them as they moved across the ground. Giving chase, it came after them with its tail swinging wildly behind it, pulverizing the ground like a giant whip.

"There's nowhere to hide," Asuka shouted frantically, watching as the creature rapidly started closing the distance between them with just a few steps. Tripping over a rock she cried out and fell face first into the dirt, Shinji stopping to pick her up as the Angel stepped forward to loom over them. Looking up in horror Shinji stared into the death mask on the Angel's chest, watching its long head swing down to look at them. It raised one of its hands skyward, and then swung downward, its palm preparing to crush the last survivors of mankind.

A second before it's hand slammed into the ground, Shinji had Auska by the shoulders and proceeded to roll with her, end over end, out of the way. The Angel's hand hit mere feet away from the downed children and the shockwave that resulted from the Angel's strike bounced them off the ground. Shinji was on his feet seconds later as a cloud of dust rose around him from the impact, grabbing Asuka and fighting through the resulting disorientation, running for the nearest building cover to their right.

Once again temporarily blinded by the dust and smoke made by its own attack, the Angel waited patiently for the cloud to settle, trying to pierce the gloom with its eyes, searching vigilantly for its prey.

Half throwing Asuka behind a damaged wall just in front of an office building complex she grunted from the impact, fresh blood drawing from her wounds, soaking into the bandages on her arms. Shinji felt guilty for handling her roughly, but if they hadn't moved as fast as they could to this new hiding place Asuka would have more than just reopened injuries to worry about right now.

Crouching low, Shinji wiped a hand through his sweat covered bangs and gasped for breath, watching as Asuka rose to sit with her back against the wall, clutching her hurt arm.

"We can't afford to stay in one place too long. We need to put some distance between us and this thing," he gasped, raising his head to catch a glimpse of the still far too close monstrosity.

"We can't hide forever," Asuka agreed said through gritted teeth. "Angels get smarter remember? They adapt to human countermeasures and planning. We've both seen it done before."

Desperation tore at Shinji's soul. She was right. Running would not work for much longer and there wasn't any place they could hide that would do them any measure of good against that beast. The only thing that could defeat the Angels were the Evangelions and they had all been either destroyed or, in Unit 01's case, lost as it floated off in the endless vacuum of space.

"Let's move again," Shinji muttered. "We need to at least put some more distance between us and that thing."

He helped Asuka up and they moved to the next set of broken down buildings nearest to their location. Behind them, the Angel began firing its cross beam energy weapon again, destroying the area around it. As Shinji and Asuka moved to the last set of buildings in that line, the Angel turned its attention to the first building they had originally occupied and destroyed it.

"Nothing but open terrain from here on out, Next set of buildings is half a kilometer away, from the looks of it," Asuka observed. "We have no choice but to head there but Angel will get us before we can get there for sure!"

"Damn it!" Shinji muttered, looking at the direction Asuka was talking about. He felt his heart sink into his stomach. He had engaged in desperate situations against Angel's before, and this time was no different. On the other hand, every other time he had had a means to defend himself in the form of Eva 01 and here he had nothing. Two humans could do no harm to an Angel and Shinji admitted with something approaching total defeatism, that he had no more plans or ideas.

He almost chuckled at the irony. _I spent my entire time piloting Eva and cursing it, hating it and now when there isn't one around, I wish I had one…_

Another beam ripped into the ground closer to the shattered building the children were taking refuge in as the Angel slowly and methodically began destroying any hiding place the children could find. A second beam landed closer still, momentarily blinding the children as the accompanying shockwave cast them to the ground behind a partially destroyed wall.

Shinji blinked away stars. He looked skyward and was taken aback by a picturesque view of the night sky. A dazzling series of shooting stars crisscrossed across the heavens as if serenading the doomed children. One blaze in particular seemed to be growing larger as it fell to earth. Something didn't seem right about it and Shinji rolled onto his side to tapped a groaning Asuka on her shoulder, pointing up to draw her attention to what he saw. "What's that?"

"What the hell?" Asuka blinked away the last of the disorientation and followed his gaze, watching the spectacle in the sky as Shinji's finger traced its decent down from the heavens. So fixated on the growing meteor, neither paid attention as the Angel moved on to the next set of buildings, tearing through them as it searched the wreckage, looking for its prey.

The meteor continued to grow in size as it fell closer still, taking the form of a red hot coal as it streaked through the lower atmosphere. Downward it plummeted, growing to the size of a fist.

"It's going to fall down near us. What the hell _is _it?!" Asuka whispered harshly, backing up against the brick wall that made up the back of the building complex they were hiding in.

The meteor's velocity and speed picked up and it fell faster. Asuka's observant eye narrowed and she frowned. "That's not a-"

The rest of her words were drowned out as the object slammed into the earth with a shockwave that rocked the surrounding area, gaining the attention of the Angel. A blinding flash of light streaked out in all directions. Shinji and Asuka covered their eyes to avoid total blindness.

The Angel turned to face the source of this disturbance and began walking towards the crash site, red eyes scanning the ground. Unbeknownst to the children, the beast closed in on them from the side now rather than from behind, hiding in the deafening sounds of the initial and secondary explosions of the fallen object as buildings exploded and shrapnel shot out in all directions.

It spotted the children again. With its claws came a promise of death and the Angel flexed its hand, the bone joints cracking. As if by chance, one of many pieces of building shards discharged by the fall of the meteor flew out and struck the creature in the abdomen. It fell to the ground with a sound-less crash.

Spitting out dust, Asuka blinked and discovered she was half buried in dirt. Slowly she rose on shaky legs. Her ears rang and the shockwaves had disrupted her equilibrium, making balance difficult and hearing all but impossible. Turning to look at the object that had fallen, her mouth fell open and she yelled to Shinji. "Look!"

Shaking his head, Shinji let her know he didn't understand what she was saying and pointed to his ears. Fighting back a wave of frustration, Asuka pointed, leading his eyes to see what she saw. The sight took his breath away and an imaged burned itself into his mind that he would never forget.

There, laying a couple of hundred feet in front of them, silent, lifeless, and half buried under rock rubble, was Eva 01. Shinji's eye's shone with joy and disbelief. If they could just reach it in time, he knew they'd have a fighting chance! No Evangelion unit had been more successful at combating the Angels then his own Unit 01. The silent giant knelt unmoving, cooling as smoke and steam from its hot metallic armor went from piping hot red back to its normal purple and neon green color.

Shinji found his sense of balance again and a popping in his ears told him that his hearing was trying to restore itself. Turning to Asuka he motioned for her to run and started off towards Unit 01.

"Hurry, Asuka! Hurry!"

"I'm moving as fast as I can," she snapped.

Behind them, the Angel rose to its feet again; its claw carved the building they had been using as shelter in half. Its tail swung around to crush the remaining structure, narrowly missing hitting Asuka's head. Onward the monster stomped, bearing down on the two children. Shinji cursed and tried to run faster, but the Angel was coming after him now, and he knew he wouldn't make it to his Eva before the Angel took him out. That didn't stop him from trying however, and he ran so fast he thought his lungs would burst.

But it wasn't enough. The Angel's tail fell in front of him, cutting him off from his desired target. Deleting his mobility, the Angel raised its clawed hand, read to finish the hunt it had started.

White eyes flashing, Unit 01 roared and stood, rushing forward with great speed, its mouth a chorus of square, mashing teeth. Looking up a bit too late, the Angel was powerless to raise its A.T. field in time and the Eva launched a shoulder tackle that hurled the Angel backwards off its feet for a second time since it had risen from the ground, sending the thrashing monster crashing into the rubble that remained of the first set of buildings it had demolished.

"It went berserk again!" Asuka screamed. "Are you sure you should approach it?"

"Don't worry," he called back. _Not like we have much of a choice anyways._

It was the first time to his knowledge that the Eva had gone berserk without a pilot inside. Putting the question out of his mind, he watched in surprise as the robot growled once then knelt low to the ground, awaiting the arrival of its pilot with a patience as extreme as the berserker fury it had just unleashed moments ago.

As if by its own will, the Evangelion bore none of the scars or marks it had accrued during Third Impact. The Unit was just as it always had been, pristine and ready for combat. If there was anything in the universe that could make Shinji believe that the hand of providence was on his side, this was it.

The children reached the Evangelion and the entry plug partially detracted from the back of the Eva's neck. A thin linked ladder extended from the plug, reaching almost all the way to the ground. Climbing up ladder like rungs up the side, Shinji stopped periodically to help Asuka along, since she had only one functioning arm to call upon for strength. As he half pulled her up the Eva's length, he watched out of the corner of his eye as the Angel righted itself and started for the Eva again, head down as if to charge it.

Reaching the entry plug Shinji grunted and strained, turning the door bar to open it. A small wave of L.C.L. liquid splashed out as the door opened, soaking them as they scrambled inside. Shinji fell into the control chair, activating the hand station and booting up several other key stations. The video monitor flickered to life in front of him and he watched as the Angel stood up, knocking debris away in all directions as it stomped back over towards them.

"Shinji, it's going to kill us!"

Shinji set his face with a mask of determination, flicking a switch that retracted the entry plug back into the depths of the Evangelion's torso. "No! This won't be the end! Initializing setup. Language: Japanese. Powering up all other systems."

He activated his joystick controls and felt a pulse as the ingested S2 organ gained from the Zeruel, the most powerful Angel, fed power throughout the structure of the behemoth. The all too familiar hum of the powered up onboard systems echoed comfortingly throughout Unit 01.

A very brief glance at the Eva's display told him all that he needed to know. The Eva, thankfully, was still combat effective even after planet fall. The armor around it's S2 core was gone but Shinji knew from past experience that Unit 01's core was no weak spot, especially not with a well-placed A.T. field.

Asuka sat on the edge of his seat, blushing profusely and trying very hard not to get too close to his lap. Holding onto the seat with her one good arm, she did her best to not get in Shinji's way. Excess thought noise or any other distraction could cost them the battle and their lives.

Shinji pulled back hard on the hand yokes. "Eva launch!"

Unit 01 rose to its feet fluidly, white eyes shining out from its horned mask, staring the Angel down as its foe approached. Inside the cockpit, the heads up display provided Shinji with the view of the enemy and the battlefield. Tactical information appearing on the screen but it told him little about the target that he did not already know. The bottom of his screen chimed and words appeared, letting him know his Progressive Knife was stored in Unit 01's shoulder, and was ready for deployment at any time.

Shinji pushed on the controls on either side of his legs. "One more time! Let's see what you've got one more time!"

With that, the Evangelion started forward at a run, right hand clenching into a fist to strike the Angel. Dust and debris scattered as the Eva's feet slammed down against the ground like a mini earthquake as it took step after rapid step, closing the distance between it and the even larger Angel, both combatants ready to begin the final battle on planet Earth.

The Angel spread its arms out wide and Unit 01's frame shook suddenly as a cross-beam slammed into it, cracking several sections of its outermost armor. A loud groan sang throughout the chamber, combined with a bucking vibration jarring the children's teeth. Shinji couldn't tell if it was the bending of metal or something even more human…

"The armor absorbed that shot but it won't be able to that again," Asuka shouted, eying one of his display monitors. "The next shot will cause a lot more damage. The armor won't stand against this continued stress! That Angel's power output is unreal!"

The lights inside the chamber flashed but stayed on. Unit 01 regained its balance as the Angel advanced. Shinji concentrated, keeping his eyes glued on the heads up display. "Expanding A.T. field!"

The Eva's energy field expanded around the beast protectively, shimmering in the air like heat rising off a hot summer road. A second later, another cross-beam launched out, striking the Eva's energy barrier, creating another powerful shockwave. Unit's 01's frame shuttered, but suffered no damage. The Angel lowered its head and snarled out an unearthly challenge.

Asuka peered at a secondary computer monitor. "The Eva has no reserve battery power! How is it even moving!?"

"Remember that one Angel with the razor sharp ribbon arms that breached NERV's protective zone? My unit attacked and went berserk. I don't remember too much after that, but Misato later told me that when Unit 01 ate the dead Angel it gained some kind of energy that lets it run continuously without problems. S2 organ or something. Basically, my Eva has an Angel core now."

Shinji smiled predatorily, gripping his controls so tightly his knuckles whitened. "Hold on, I'm going to attack!"

Asuka put her hand over his. "We're going to attack," she corrected. Remember, we're a team now. Let's go kick some ass!"

Shinji nodded, motivated once again by her spunky attitude. They had been at each other's throat mere hours ago but their mutual change of heart under the circumstance was nothing short of human. All it took for coordination and teamwork was the threat of someone or something even more threatening.

Shinji steadied his resolve. "Come on, one last time!"

The remaining sensors lit up and the Eva's head rose sharply. Its horned face turned to challenge the Angel that had shown itself to be far more behaviorally unusual than any previously seen. The Eva growled deep in its throat, issuing a challenge, it's unblinking white eyes narrowed as it faced off against its target, rising on strong legs.

With remarkable agility the Angel closed in for melee combat and launched out with its whip-like tail. Unit 01 caught it with its hands, hunkering down as the beast thrashed about, trying to free itself. Pulling sharply up and to the side, Unit 01 threw the Angel into the air. The creature landed squarely on its side, howling in fury as the ground collapsed beneath it, dumping the bulk of the monster into a crater created by the impact. Seconds later it rose to its feet with the gracefulness of a cat, fast enough to take Shinji and Asuka by surprise.

Despite their different strengths, the Angel's almost never possessed quick bodily reflexes. This one seemed bred for speed with put it in an entirely different combat category.

"Asuka, pull back hard!" Shinji commanded, yanking on the control levers.

She used all the strength her good arm could muster. "Right!"

The Eva jumped high into the air and gracefully performed a midair flip. Its feet caught the rising Angel squarely in the chest which once again sent the powerful creature crashing, its bulk skidding back across the ground from the momentum.

Without missing a beat, the monster flipped over onto its stomach and flexed the muscles on its back. The two monstrous shoulder spikes pulsed once, straightened, and then broke away from its body one at a time, firing at high speeds towards the Eva. The first spike dissipated against the A.T. field. The Angel corrected its aim and neutralized the Eva's barrier just as the second projectile embedded itself squarely in the robot's side.

The Eva jerked as it landed back on the ground, falling to one knee as blood poured freely from the massive wound. Inside the cockpit, Shinji cried out in pain, his hand reflectively clutching at his ribs. Connected as he was to his machine, whatever it felt, so did he. Clenching his teeth in agony, Shinji refocused on the battle as best he could.

The Eva pulled the spike from its side and threw it to the ground. The Angel also recovered its balance and regenerated the spikes with a wet slurping sound. It lunged forward and locked hands with Unit 01, using its unearthly strength to slowly overpower the war machine. To make matter's worse, the Angel brought its bone tail up and repeatedly slammed it into the robot's head, denting the reinforced metal with punishing blows.

"Damn, I wish this thing was packing a gun!" Asuka snarled.

The control panel's alarm screeched to life, warning it's occupants of the danger. Around them, metal groaned under the strain of battle. Shinji looked at another screen.

"I guess we gotta rely on the prog knife."

The Eva broke free from the Angel's grasp and grabbed the knife from the holster inside it's right shoulder. But in reaching up to grab it, the Eva left itself open to attack. The Angel stretched out with its clawed hand and dug into Unit 01's opposite shoulder. Effortlessly, it picked the Eva up off the ground and started hammering its frame with its tail.

"Let go you bastard!" Shinji screamed in fury.

The Evangelion swung around with its free arm and cut the Angel's arm off with the short bladed knife. Blood spurted from the wound and the creature looked at its stump in confusion. Before the robot could land on the ground however, the Angel swung its tail around and caught the Eva in the side, skidding it back across the dirt, effectively buying it more breathing room. Asuka gasped as she saw the Angel's chest start to flicker with a pinkish white light.

"Roll right!" She pulled hard on the grip handle.

The Eva rolled hard end over end, barely avoiding the tremendous blast that ripped into the earth where they had just been standing. Shinji quickly pulled his unit to its feet.

He yanked hard on the controls. "Maximum speed!"

Asuka grinned wickedly. "Hell yeah!"

Unit 01 rushed forward so fast it became a massive purple blur, closing the distances with its target in just over two seconds. Before the Angel could react, Shinji twisted his control lever and delivered a powerful punch to the Angel's face. It skidded backwards and howled as several of its teeth shattered under the force of impact.

"End it, Shinji!" Asuka roared.

The Eva rushed forward again and slammed right into the Angel's incredibly power A.T. field, stopping it cold. Before the Eva could cut through the obstacle, the Angel collided its field with the Eva's, canceling them both out. Dozens of thin tentacles swung out from behind the Angel's back and injected themselves into the Eva's frame, aiming for gaps in the joints. Parts of the Angel's own body stretched out and wrapped around the Eva's arms, pinning them in place.

"It won't move," Shinji screamed, squeezing the lever hard. Alarm klaxons screamed throughout the entry plug as the joints of Unit 01 seized up as a result of direct contact with the Angel. Completely immobilized, the Eva became as battle effective as a stone statue.

The Angel studied its target for a moment with its impassive, unblinking eyes then raised its remaining hand and enveloped the Eva's head. Darkness filled Shinji's heads up display and spread through the entry plug, casting the two into absolute blackness.

Shinji thought he felt Asuka grip his arm. "What's going on?!"

"What are you stupid?! How should I know?!"

The darkness that befell the cockpit filtered into their mind, creeping like a malignant disease into their very consciousness's'. Vulnerable and alone in the pitch blackness, Shinji and Asuka slumped forward and knew no more.

Responding in kind, the powerful Evangelion went limp as its surface turned black and its eyes dimmed to nothingness as the Angel tightened its death grip. Lightning danced across the heavens, falling around the two behemoths as the last struggle of mankind flickered and died away.

Chapter 6: The Keeper of the Dead World.

Shinji awoke abruptly and sat up, taking note of his environment as his vision sharpened to normality. He was resting on a clear marble floor that stretched on endlessly off into the horizon in every direction. Nothing else existed before his eyes and the barren landscape unnerved him more than any unfamiliar ceiling he'd awoken to in Tokyo 3's hospital. A sharp intake of breath sounded very loud in his ears and it seemed to echo unnaturally all around him despite the absence of physical walls and a ceiling.

He quickly jumped to his feet and found every sound he made echoed in kind. Pure white light shone across the marble and was almost too intense to look it. It was unlike the other time, when the Black and White ball-like Angel had absorbed him and his Eva into itself. This place, while desolate and creepy, lacked the ominous sense of despair that the other Angel's Sea of Dirac had possessed.

"Where am I? Asuka!? Asuka, where are you," his voice reached out in all directions but no answer returned. Despite the glare, Shinji looked for a way out. There were no walls and as such, no doors. Escape was absolutely impossible. Bile rose into his mouth and he choked back panic as the pure isolation of the place terrified him beyond rational thought.

"Asuka!"

_"The girl is alive, but she is not here," _a deep voice replied. Its booming tone also echoed around him, as if amplified by an invisible sub-woofer. The voice held no emotion and appeared to come from every place at once. It took Shinji by complete surprise and he fell backwards on his rear, eyes panning the vast empty zone around him, looking for the source of the voice.

"Where are you!?"

_"I am everywhere and nowhere. Not everything in existence can be measured, Shinji Ikari."_

"Fine then. What are you?"

_"As existence has mandated, I am something you cannot possibly fathom as you are now. It is because you are one of the Lilliem, creation of Lilith. We messengers exist on a level of awareness beyond your understanding even though you are so very similar to us in many regards. I am called Churban-I'chaim but you Lilliem call us Angels. You may call me one as well if you feel so inclined." _

"So you're the Angel we were just fighting?!" Shinji took a step backwards in bewilderment as a cold chill ran up his spine. "This is the first time I've heard one of you talk. What's this Lilliem thing anyways? I think I've heard it before."

_"The chosen name for humanity is Lilliem. Appropriate since they came from Lilith, a being who should never have landed upon this world. It was not in the plan, nor was seeding this world with her children, imperfect abominations trying to overcome and undo the natural order. But one sin alone was not enough. Humanity saw fit to create new abominations, vile tools crafted in Adam's image to fight with. They used these tools in ignorance; never once did they truly understand just what they'd created." _

"You mean the Evangelions? We have a right to fight for our existence! The fact that we've beaten so many of you counts for something!"

_ "Such boastful arrogance. In this way, the Lilliem have proven to be worthy of their parasitic existence. But your ignorance is understood. How could humanity possibly understand the cosmic plan set about by the Creators? How could they understand that the worlds set about for the purpose of their existence did not include this one? _

Shinji balled his hands into tight fists. "So what's your specific purpose? What use is the dead world to an Angel?!"

The voice hesitated, if but for an instant. _"In truth, I was not supposed to be reborn unto this world so soon. I was fated to be the last to be reborn and my task is to stand watch over this dead world. My brethren failed to purify this world of original sin, and humanity failed to ascend to absolute unification. I will watch over this world and in time I will become Adam and repopulate the world as was originally ordained. But I cannot begin the evolution until all Lilliem are purged. With the passing of you two final Lilliem, my endless purpose will finally begin."_

"You were sent by God, weren't you?" Shinji yelled, his anger and frustrating overcoming the fear he felt in his heart. "Why do you cause so much damage and pain when so many people worship your existence in church and stuff?"

_"You Lilliem characteristically oversimplify that which cannot possibly be simplified. We are neither good nor evil, not in the sense you are thinking of. We serve the Creators you gave the name 'God' in the ordained manner assigned to us without question or complaint. To put it into a context you can understand, two of our numbers, Lilith and Adam, had fallen to this world at different times. This was not supposed to happen. The world rightfully belongs to Adam and us, his children and legacy. Mankind's very existence here is an unacceptable flaw in the cosmic plan."_

"We can't help how we were created or where we were created!" Shinji mashed his teeth together in fury desperately for something to physically lash out at. "But life is a gift that we deserve to have as well, no matter what!"

_"Humanity destroyed itself without any outside help. As we knew it would. The passing of mankind was a blessing that we sought to bring. While it was by your own hands that you met destruction rather than from us, the result was the same. But rejoice! No longer will your kind suffer as it had. I will see that you end peacefully."_

"It isn't for you to say or decide! We're living beings with minds of our own!"

_"Come, Shinji Ikari. I can sense the pain and suffering in your heart. You wished for life to cease. You wanted to be alone. Inside your heart, you wanted revenge for all the ill treatment received at the hands of your unrespectable father. All Lilliem harbor such irrational fear. A flaw born of Lilith, perhaps."_

_"We dutifully tried to right the mistakes in the cosmic plan. However, you fought us and kept us from completing our task. Humanity had, over the ages, become corrupted from Lilith's original sin. Your kind sought to destroy each other thru war and murder. We offered oblivion and salvation. Yet you resisted. We do not understand why."_

"Rei accomplished your task, didn't she? She initiated Third Impact."

_"Remember that she gave the Lilliem's fate to you, Shinji Ikari. You chose for things to return as they were. You stopped the so called 'Third Impact'. In actuality, she did not have the right to hand that decision to you. She did so out of love, violating the standing order of the cosmic plan._

"How do you know all this if you were the last to awaken?"

_"I slept and waited, but I also watched, as was my duty. The sum failures and successes of the Lilliem are forever imbedded within my consciousness."_

"Was Rei more than just a clone?" Shinji asked the question with bated breath, not sure if he truly wanted to know the answer or not.

_"The one called Rei was both one of us and not one of us. While her body was human and frail, created by perverted science, in her veins flowed our blood. She was a created vessel for Lilith to dwell in. The child's love was for your father, and at first he gave her life substance. But her true inner loyalty wavered and fell to you. She thought she acted out of personal desire. In truth, she served the cosmic plan in her own way, just as we do."_

"If life can return to normal because of the choice Rei gave me, then why isn't it happening?"

_"Your kind consists nothing but questions. As I said before, it is my task to stand as a testament to the Lilliem, not to restore them. The divine purpose bestowed upon me by the will of the Creators and my host supersedes what you, a mortal creature, desire. Though, for whatever the reason, the Creators chose for the power of resurrection to exist within me, though I have no direct control over this power."_

"I've changed my views on life! I want things to return to normal! I want to live a normal life without having to pilot an Eva or fighting against creatures and ideas I do not understand! I want to be with Asuka! Give her back to me!"

_"There is no need to fear, Shinji Ikari. Soon the end will come and the plan will be mended. Your end will be jubilant and painless."_

"We've killed seventeen of your kind, and we'll kill you as well," Shinji shouted in anger, growing more and more frustrated as the conversation dragged out. His vulnerability coupled with the fact that the Angel was actually socializing with him on a level he could understand was most unnerving.

_"This is unlikely. Your abomination is much more powerful then I first thought but that is only because of the life force contained inside. It is a most formidable entity." _

"What do you mean 'life force'?"

_"You should have found this life force to be familiar to your own. Have you no idea? She who bore you and the machine are one, just as you and I are now one."_

"My mother...?" Shinji felt dizzy and a moment later he fell to his knees.

It all made perfect sense! It explained how the Evangelion had come to life with no power and saved him time after time? His mother had been with him the whole time, working to protect him.

_"Her soul will also be freed once the abomination is destroyed. We are not your enemy, Shinji. We bring salvation. Resist no longer."_

"I will escape with Asuka! What right do you have to take a life? You're no better than we humans are!"

_"Do not be so rash with your judgments. You are tired and cannot be expected to understand the true nature of what you are saying. Rest until the end. It draws near."_

A heavy weight crushed down on the boy from above. Against his will, he fell to the floor, groaning in pain. The voice around him faded away, as did the bright light, leaving Shinji alone in complete darkness. He continued to struggle against the invisible force holding him down, calling out Asuka's name helplessly.

"Where the hell am I?"!

Asuka sat up and looked around, whipping her hair hard from side to side. Nothing existed around her but stark darkness. She wondered where Shinji was, feeling around on the ground while calling out his name. Was he dead? She shook her head sharply from side to side, not even willing to entertain that idea.

She fought off a sinking feeling that rose in her stomach and fought the urge to vomit as a cold sweat broke out on forehead. Disorientated, she wrapped her arms around herself and tried to calm down, taking short, slow breaths. Raising her head, she called out to Shinji again.

"Shinji, are you here?!" Despite increasing her voice, nothing returned from the depths of the darkness.

_"Your friend is not dead but he is not here. You are alone." _A voice spoke emotionlessly and matter-of-factly from all around her, chilling her to the core.

"Who said that?!" Asuka shouted.

_"I am Churban-l'chaim, servant to the cosmic plan."_

"You're the Angel we were fighting against! Where the hell am I?!"

_"You are inside my consciousness and will remain so until the end. You and young Shinji will have your souls released from your crude bodies so you can join in the final purification of the Lilliem from this world. This place within me is simply to hold you until I reach your mortal coil. You will feel no pain so long as you do not struggle."_

"Like hell," Asuka spat. "You think you can hold us? We hurt you pretty badly so far, and we'll destroy you in the end, just like all the others!"

_"The damage done to my earthly form is only superficial. My purpose will be fulfilled regardless."_

"We'll see! I've kicked plenty of Angel ass in the past."

_"Come child, do you not wish to rejoin your mother?" _

"My mother?" Asuka's defiant rant stopped dead.

_"Your mother, as you know, was inside of your weapon. When the planet died, the abomination you piloted was destroyed and her soul was set free to join with all humanity via the unification."_

"That doesn't mean I'm ready to die and join her! My life and purpose are my own!"

_"What do you know of purpose, young one? Your mind cannot understand the true ways of life's existence or the reasons that humanity must leave its embrace as singular entities. You view us as enemies when in actuality we come only to serve and bring balance."_

"I don't care what your explanation is, leave me alone!"

_"Very well. Remain here with your thoughts until the end."_

Asuka was cast back into the darkness. Her feelings of rage melt into terror and as the darkness consumed her completely she opened her mouth in a wordless scream, curling up into a tight ball as utter despair and loneliness consumed her senses.

Shinji continued his futile fight against the invisible bonds that held him. He had to escape, and quickly. All this was his fault to begin with, but if he could kill the Angel everything would return to the way it had once been. He owed that much to the world. Still, the energy barrier could not be lifted by any feat of strength. Rather than lose himself in despair, Shinji closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down his spinning mind.

Was his mother really inside of Unit 01 somehow? That would explain a lot. Rather than focus on that too much, Shinji decided to just focus on escaping, his brain could handle that much.

"Mother…" Shinji prayed for a miracle. Nothing short of one would free him from the weight that held his body in check.

Nothing happened. The darkness, the cold blanket of loneliness, did not lift. Shinji concentrated and managed to raise his head several inches off the ground before increased resistance slammed it back down. It was no use. He sighed, realizing how foolish it was to believe in miracles, especially in on a dead world that he'd helped to create.

He didn't deserve to be saved. He understood that. But Asuka did. She'd suffered so much and he'd not been there to help her. If nothing else, she deserved to live.

"Help me, mother!" He put all his heart and soul into the scream.

A shockwave rippled through the air, nearly vibrating the teeth out of his skull. A second and then a third impact resounded throughout the darkness and suddenly there was an almost blinding flash of light. With a final powerful crash, the Evangelion's head pushed through the floor, growling inhumanly. Thrashing about, Unit 01 tore into the Angel's reality, reaching out with one hand despite resistance and gently enveloping Shinji.

The oppressive weight vanished and Shinji held on tightly as the Eva began to pull back, intending to separate from the Angel's consciousness. Beside him, someone groaned and sat up. Seeing him sitting in its purple palm beside her, Asuka dove on him, hugging him so tight he could scarcely breathe.

Hot tears streaked down his naked chest. "Shinji, you ok!?"

"Asuka, thank God!"

The two quickly embraced a second time before the Eva howled and another flash of light covered them entirely. When he could see again he noticed that they were once again within the protection of the entry plug. Unit 01 was still locked in a deadly embrace with the angel as the tentacle-like parts of the Angel's body sought access to the two pilots within.

"We're free!" Asuka gave a shout of joy.

The Angel howled and flexed its hand, slowly crushing the robot's head by means of physical strength alone. With both Shinji and Asuka straining at the controls, the Eva resisted, but the superiorly large Angel was far too powerful. It continued to squeeze, bending the Eva's head back as it sought to snap it off at the neck.

"Just once more..." Shinji pleaded, straining against the back thrust of the controls. With a sudden burst of strength, the Eva pulled its arms free and cut through the remaining restraint tentacles with its progressive knife. The powerful weapon tore the Angel's hand from its head and drove its knee into the creature's stomach.

"Die, damn you!" Asuka grabbed Shinji's hand with her own as her eyes ignited with naked hatred.

The Eva drove the knife down into the Angel's head and pulled forward, cutting through it's flesh with ease. It continued to pull forward, quickly slicing the Angel's face into two halves that remained loosely attached at the neck as a gyzer of blood drenched not only the Eva but the landscape around them as well. A punch to the Angel's solar plexus sent it's still flailing body crashing into the desert sand where it lay in an unmoving broken heap.

The creature's brilliant white eyes flashed once, and then dimmed into black lifelessness.

"You alright, Shinji?" Asuka asked snatching his mind away from the stress of combat. He uncurled his fingers from the control handle and flashed a weak smile. The ordeal had completely exhausted him. Sweat matted his unruly brown hair and his eyelids sagged from exertion. The taxing experience of the last few hours had been more than anyone could easily endure.

"I'm ok." He patted the Eva's control panel affectionately. "Mom helped me."

Asuka's eyes widened. "Your mom's trapped in this thing?"

Shinji nodded. "She saved my life again. I wish I could meet the real her… even if it was just to talk for a couple of minutes. There is so much I want to ask her, so much I want to say…"

Asuka embraced Shinji from behind. "I know how much it hurts. I went through the same situation. I teased you about it in the past... and I'm sorry." Even know, saying she was sorry was hard to do. Pride was still her greatest weakness. The gesture touched Shinji deep in his heart

She pulled back, blushing profusely and cleared her throat. "I think we should figure out what we're going to do n-"

A sudden impact hit the Eva's chest and sent the two teens flying back against the metal hull of the entry plug. The Eva stumbled backwards and fell onto its back kicking up a torrent of sand and dust.

"What the hell!?" Asuka leapt back into the pilot's chair holding her hand against a large gash on her forehead received when she'd just banged her head into the Eva's control terminal. Shinji crawled up beside her and looked out at the viewing monitor.

"Look! The Angel is regenerating!"

Asuka nodded. "That son-of-a-bitch! I guess it has a core too!"

Shinji searched frantically. "But where?!"

As they looked out at the viewing screen, the progressive knife fell to the ground and the two halves of the angel's head began to reconnect with a loud suctioning sound. Its eyes shone with life renewed as half severed tentacles dissipated into the air and its stump of an arm regenerated in a matter of moments. The new talon-wielding hand still gleamed with regeneration fluid as the Angel roared again, turning it's slanted eyes on them with an even look that promised a methodical execution.

The most hideous transformation occurred next. Four rectangular tentacles tore up and out from the Angel's stomach and moved through the air as if possessing individual intelligence. Shinji gulped audibly. He had seen the power of such tentacles when the Fifteenth Angel, Zeruel, had invaded NERV H.Q. They could cut through an Eva's armor like a knife through butter.

"We don't have any weapons left. The prog knife is out of reach." Asuka tore off a part of her bandaged arm, wrapping it around the gash on her head.

Shinji clenched his teeth in frustration. "We'll have to make due. We need to find its core. If we can shatter that we win. Is our A.T .field holding up?

Asuka nodded. "It's as strong as it'll ever be."

The Angel lashed out with the four tentacles but the Eva performed a graceful back-flip, narrowly dodging the attack. That action gave the creature more than enough time to close in on them with its great speed. It leapt skyward and would have taken Unit 01's head off with its claws had the Eva's projected A.T. field not sent the monster flying backwards.

The Eva ran forward, pressing the advantage. Its hands came together and delivered an overhead smash that further threw the Angel off balance. Snarling, the beast lashed out with its tentacles again. Working the controls, Shinji pivoted his machine to the side and got behind his target, each hand grabbing hold of a large shoulder spike that adorned the Angel's back.

The Eva dug its heels into the ground to hold the thrashing beast still. With a tremendous tug, it tore both of the spikes off, triggering an explosion of blood and flesh. With this, Shinji caught sight of a flashing orb attached to the top of the Angel's spine, resting beneath the ruined flesh.

"Look, the core!"

Before the Eva could act, the Angel wrapped its tail around the robot's waist and threw it off to the side. Shinji steadied the controls as he landed, but a brilliant flash of light overtook Unit 01 a second later as a cross-beam exploded against the A.T field. Alarm klaxon's sounded off and several computer systems went dead, fried as a result of an energy backlash. The force of the blow knocked the Eva onto its back.

"We can't take many more like that!" Asuka warned.

The Angel's four tentacles caught the Eva pilot's off guard this time. They buried themselves into the android, one striking into each limb, pinning it to the ground. The Eva howled as blood poured from the crippling wounds and Shinji, feeling each wound himself, screamed with inhuman agony. The sensation was excruciating and reduced him to a crumpled heap on the floor of the plug. Asuka called out to him, but there was nothing she could do to ease the incredible torment screaming through his body. His mind exploded with anguish and the Eva reflected this with a cacophony of pain.

To further cripple its victim, the Angel looped its tail around and drove the sharpened end down and through the Eva's stomach. Doubled over, Shinji shut his eyes and tried to tell himself the pain wasn't being inflicted onto him directly. But it was no good; the sensors atop his head that helped him control the Eva also forced him to share the damage that was inflicted on it.

The worst part of this experience was the knowledge that it was happening to his mother as well. Somehow a part of her consciousness was connected to his Eva. This information made the battle even more unbearable. Every wound the Eva took was further proof that he wasn't strong enough to protect her.

Unit 01 took a direct cross-beam blast in the chest, shorting out major power systems. Another beam hit in the Eva's face, shattering the right cheek and caving in a section of the metal plating. A third beam crashed in directly the same spot and took out the bottom half of its already damaged face and eye. Shattered bone and blood ran down its damaged chest as a red spray shot off across the night sky.

"Stand up, damn you!" Asuka took over for Shinji, yanking hard on the controls.

Slowly, the Eva started to rise despite the resistance of being held down. However, a timed cross-beam to its neck and chest knocked it down again. The Angel howled skyward, as if it were informing its fallen brethren of an impending victory.

"Eighty percent armor loss! Sixty five percent internal damage! All main computer power units are down with only one reserve unit's still functional! My god, mobility is only at five percent! Shinji, these readings report a critical status! Unit 01 is dying!"

Tears fell from Shinji's eyes. He placed his open hand on the cold metal floor and opened his soul to his mother. _Mother, it's killing you and I can't do anything to stop it!_

Another set of long tentacles burst out from the Angel's skin and wrapped around the dying Eva's frame The Angel's keen eyes shone ever brighter until they seemed to burn like twin suns. Unlike the others of its kind, this Angel was slow to attack a ruined target, as if it enjoyed and savored its certain victory.

_Mother, help me! One more time! Just one more time! Please... mother!_

He felt it quite suddenly and with such strength that it took his breath away. The inner most essence of the Eva's soul reached out to his and the two joined in a surge of emotion that was indescribable. Shinji smiled, allowing his soul to bathe in the white light of his mother's brilliance. He stretched out his arms and embraced her shimmering figure as it swam up to him from a nova of brilliant light. The beautiful figure smiled down at him and kissed him on the forehead. The two powers of life embraced.

Then Shinji felt a more metallic feeling as the Evangelion also became a part of him. There was no longer any need for cumbersome controls, he could move it himself. They existed now as a single entity. With a great burst of strength, the organic machine picked itself up, straining against the Angel's organic weapons. The Angel hissed in relalation and lowered its head, watching its target with curiosity.

Shinji and the Eva stared at their enemy with their one good eye. The two gigantic beasts, neither of natural creation, prepared again for battle.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, the Eva let out a powerful howl and started running toward the Angel at an awkward pace. The tentacles stiffened at every location they had pierced the Eva's armor but it couldn't stop Shinji completely as it determinedly ran its self through. The robot tore its left arm free of the tentacle restraints and held its right palm out, blocking a cross-beam as it ran. A second beam took the arm off at the shoulder, but the beast still ran with single-minded determination, shrieking with bloodlust.

Asuka sat in the pilot's chair and just watched in amazement at the sight before her. The nearly dead Eva had somehow restored itself to an over maximum performance status. She looked down at Shinji and saw the glazed look of a trance on his face. She knew that somehow, all this was his doing.

"Go, Shinji!"

The Angel fired yet another beam that connected with the Eva's forehead, shattering its long horn and the armor around it, revealing the organic tissue underneath. But by then it was too late to cash in on the pervious success. The Eva was there, driving its remaining fist into the Angel's face, knocking the creature off balance. The death match was incredible. With spikes and tentacles nearly five hundred feet long running through its body, the Eva grappled with its opponent using a strength that threatened to overwhelm the remaining armor and bone underneath.

The celestial warrior thrashed and tore at the Eva, but the robot was too close to be stopped. Staring the Angel monster directly in the eye, the howling Eva drove its opened hand into the Angel's chest, punching a hole directly through bone mask and reached into the Angel's body almost to the shoulder. The Angel took the damage silently but its body shivered and thrashed as it sought to pull back and free itself.

Unit 01 grabbed hold of the S2 organ buried in its back before the Angel could escape. With once quick flex of its hand, the solid orb shattered. The Angel did scream at last, issuing out an almost mournful cry.

Almost immediately the tentacles started to dissipate. It hit the Eva with its fist and succeeded in knocking organic machine to the ground but the end had already been decided. With its power source destroyed, the flailing monster started to explode, screaming in pain as a torrent of blood gushed from the chest wound, drenching the Eva and the ground around it.

Beams of light shone outward from the Angel's thrashing body, painting across the sky and landscape like a brush, restoring everything it touched to as it had been before the Third Impact. Shinji and Asuka looked on with amazement as life bore itself from the imminent death of the powerful monster.

The creature's chest exploded and the collapsed in on itself, but the light shown on, reaching out to the four corners of the earth, restoring and replenishing all the life, animals, and cities that had once dotted the globe. It defied science and imagination, and yet impossible was occurring right to their very eyes.

In minutes, the area around what had once been Tokyo 3 had been restored along with the rest of the planet. From space it shone a healthier green than ever before. At last the last struggles seased and the Angel submitted to its fate. A death beam in the shape of a cross rose high into the sky, marking the passing of the last Angel from the Earth's soil.

As Shinji felt himself float down and settle back inside of his body, he felt his mother say goodbye in the back of his mind. Her radiant form pulled free of its former metal shell and joined the light ascending towards the heavens. Shinji felt sadness grip his heart, but he watched her fade with a smile on his face, glad that her painful job of watching over him while trapped in the Eva's metal frame was now officially over.

Life had returned to thrive once more. Shinji wondered if that wasn't what the so-called 'cosmic plan' had called for all along.

Shinji and Asuka lay together inside the ruined Unit 01 with their hands interlocked tightly. As humanity and nature winked back into existence around them, Shinji smiled slightly and gazed up into the night sky. The stars twinkled to life amongst the heavens and for once, a peaceful feeling settled over him. The heat from Asuka's nuzzling body helped to add to this effect.

"Final redemption, huh?"

Asuka nodded, burying her head into his chest. "But what do we do now?"

"Live. It's all we can do."

"Together." Asuka gave his hand a quick squeeze.

Draping herself across him, she kissed him deeply, caught up in the heat of the moment. Love truly was the greatest creation, a force even the Angelic servants clearly didn't understand. A long between pilots had saved both their lives and a love for a mother toward her son had saved all of humanity. With love, even the most horrifying angelic powers could be overcome.

The ties that bound the two Eva pilots would grow even stronger over time. The era of terror brought by the various invasions was finally at an end. Mankind had earned itself a reprieve, but the path of destiny could sometimes be a long and mysterious one.

For whatever the reason, only a select group of people, mostly key NERV personnel and the two pilots, could recall the time during and after Third Impact. Misato and Kaji were joyfully reunited on the eve of their return to life and embraced the as the lovers they were meant to be.

Toji and all of Shinji's friends showed up for school the next day is if nothing at all had happened to begin with. Luckily the school had been far enough away from the city that it had been spared the brunt of the damage that had claimed Tokyo 3. Classes continued on and life had returned to normal.

But things were happening under the scenes, important events that would affect the future of Japan once more. Flushed with anger, Gendo planned his retaliatory strike against SEELE, intending to bring it down once and for all while the officials were confused and vulnerable.

Unknowns to anyone, however, Heaven itself still had a hand to play…

To be continued...

Authors notes:

Churban-I'chaim are two Jewish words I found on-line. Chruban was translated as "Destroyer" while I'chaim meant "Of Life". Given this Angel's unique purpose, I thought the name suited it!

Thanks for reading!

Jason


End file.
